Thursday, May 14, 2015

This is my Dad....
On May 14, 1988 he died...... 27 years ago.
So much has happened in that time that I would have loved to share with him,
or ask his advice on... 27 years seems like a long time, and yet... I still remember it
like it was yesterday.
He wasn't perfect.. of course not.. but he was perfect for me.

This is him when he was a wee boy,

I remember shortly after I was married, I went back to Scotland on

holiday. When I went to bed, there was a knock on

the bedroom door , and it was my dad, he

came in and sat on the edge of my bed and talked

to me, he then kissed the top of my head and tucked me in.

I felt like a wee girl again..I mean that in

a good way..

My Dad and my step mum Bridie

He worked in the shipyards... I remember he actually saw

saw burn alive right in front of him...it affected

him in a big way after that.

My Dad with my brother Andrew, my cousin Margaret and me....

I used to call my dad often.. I loved to hear his voice.
I would say that was one of the things after he died that I was
afraid of... not remembering his voice and what he sounded like....

My Mum, my Dad and me as a baby...

I regret not being able to go over for his funeral. My passport had ran
out and I hadn't had it renewed yet.
I also wasn't a landed immigrant of Canada yet.
I called and asked the government if I could go over... they told me
that I could, but they wouldn't allow me back in Canada again..
It was hard for me... I cried so much... it hurt so much not being able to
go back to say my goodbyes..

My Dad and my Uncle George ( his brother )

What I hope is that he would be proud of me...
I hope he knew how much I loved him..

My Dad and I.....

He was only 57 years old when he passed away... he had had a lot
of heartache in that time..
I loved him...... I love him still
And I miss him so much... I'm not sad... I believe I will see him again,
and that is something to look forward to...
I love you Dad... to the moon and stars and back..

Friday, May 1, 2015

You are going to plan your dream trip. Where do you want to go and why ?
Genealogical connections, revisit because of happy memories, or perhaps you just
feel a connection to somewhere else ? What do you want to do when you get there?

The trip can be as long or as short as you would like it to be. Forget about the
constraints that you might feel and be aware of. This is an opportunity to dream and
perhaps sow the seed for a future adventure.

If money was no option, and time didn't matter.. the first place I would go isIreland ...
I would want to visit Ahoghill in Northern Ireland.. I would want to visit
the church my Great Grandparents David McGowan and Elizabeth O'Neill
were married, and hopefully while there, I could find more information
on them.
I know David McGowan's Father was Robert McGowan, he was born
in Antrim, Northern Ireland, but I would love to get further back.

The two photo's above are Ahoghill

Also in Ireland , I would visit Drumsnatt, Monaghan and County Cavan in
Southern Ireland... my McCulloch and O'Neill lines came from there.
My Great Great Grandfather came from Cavan, Ireland,
his name was Francis McCulloch, he married Emily Tomlinson
who is from Scotland...
My O'Brien side goes back to Drumsnatt .
I would like to find out more on that side..
I have back to Edward O;Brien, who was born in 1777, he was married to
Catherine McConnan, they were my Great Great Great Great Grandparents
I would want to walk the streets they walked....

... but the place I really
want to see, and I think about the most, is

SCOTLAND :
you see its the land of my birth. and is also home to my ancestors also.
I would visit Dundee, I would like to see if I could find the streets they lived on,
it would be awesome if the houses were still there.
Also Arbroath... my Newman ancestors are there
The earliest I have found is Benjamin Newman, his wife is Ann Law
they are my Great, Great ,Great Grandparents.
My Menzies are also from around that area as well.
My cousin took me to Arbroath when I was there for a visit, but I would go there
for maybe a month to explore, and to look for streets my ancestors would
have walked..

Arbroath Harbour

just for fun, and not for Genealogy purposes, I also really want to see Oban, but I also want
to see the Fairy Pools in the Isle of Skye.

This is Oban...

I would love to go, just to walk around, or to sit and watch the water.
I would love it if I had no time schedule, and money wasn't an option, so I could
stay as long as I wanted to.
I would love to explore the area, and to just relax... think.... enjoy

The Fairy Pools in the Isle of Skye

I've heard the water is freezing, even in summer, but you can go in if you want.
I don't want to go in... I just want to experience the beauty of it all.
I would love to stay nearby, and just go every day to experience it all.

Doing all of this would take a lot of time and money... but since this would be my
dream trip, it doesn't matter :)

I'm definitely zealous about finding another ancestor, or finding information
on one... soooo exciting for me.
Genealogy and Family History are definitely my passion for sure.
When I was trying to find information on my Mum's side of the family, it
was so hard at first, because I didn't have much to go on.
When I finally was able to meet or be in contact with some of my family,
it was like the flood doors opened... I found out that I had 2 great uncles who
were spitfire pilots ( Fred McCulloch and George McCulloch )

I found out that my Gran loved to sing and was the life of a party.

My Grandad used to be a boxer when he was young

Tom McCulloch
The Royal Navy Reserves Boxing Team... age 24 years

My Great Uncle Fred was a big wig in the Boy Scouts

He is on the right.... with the big smile :)

Finding out things about my family gives me the zeal and the hunger to find out
more, and makes me feel so excited...

I'm thankful to have found out that I am part of a big family...
my heart feels so full...I love them all so much..
I feel how the grinch felt, when his heart grew two sizes that day...
my heart just keeps growing...